Cleaning the surfaces between adjacent teeth generally is a special problem. Such areas are not accessible to a tooth brush, yet they must be cleaned regularly. The consequence of not removing deposits there, especially on tooth surfaces within the gingival sulci, will very likely lead to diseases affecting teeth and periodontal tissues. The latter accounts for the large percentage of people who lose their natural teeth.
A cause of periodontal disease is initiated by bacteria acting on food particles deposited on tooth surfaces inside the gingival sulci. The deposits become plaque which later harden as a result of calcium deposition. As additional debris accumulate, a sequence of biological, physical, and biochemical events occur which eventually lead to destruction of previously healthy tissues.
A cleaning method supplementary to brushing is therefore necessary. Fairly good results have come from the use of dental floss held and manipulated with the hands. Floss tensioned within various types frames which are manipulated with the hands can also produce positive results. However, these techniques require skill with considerable perseverance and are in the main, arduous and burdensome tasks.
Efforts to reduce the interdental cleaning burden have produced some powered devices that are patented. A common problem with such devices, however, is that a segment of floss which becomes soiled during the cleaning process is returned to the target tissues with the return stroke of a reciprocating cycle. This is especially undesirable for people with gingivitis or periodontal disease since the soiled floss can pass repeatedly over or across inflamed or disease injured tissues. The cleaning action of most of the powered prior art devices reciprocates the floss in a transverse saw-like motion which is undesirable across soft tissues.